(a)

develop contacts with governments, parliaments, other key political actors, the judiciary and civil society in the region;

(b)

encourage the countries in the region to cooperate and facilitate such cooperation on regional themes of common interest, such as common security threats, the fight against terrorism, illicit trafficking and organised crime; encourage and facilitate cross-border and trans-boundary cooperation where feasible to address local needs and build trust and reconciliation;

(c)

contribute to the peaceful settlement of conflicts in accordance with the principles of international law and facilitate the implementation of such settlement in close coordination with the United Nations and the OSCE; and in support of the OSCE Minsk Group and its co-chairs;

(d)

with respect to the crisis in Georgia:

(e)

facilitate the development and implementation of confidence-building measures in coordination with Member States’ expertise where available and appropriate;

(f)

facilitate and contribute to inclusive peace-building efforts within the societies with the aim of overcoming the conflicts and consolidating peace;

(g)

assist in the preparation, as appropriate, of Union contributions to possible conflict settlement;

(h)

intensify the Union’s dialogue with the main actors concerned regarding the region;

(i)

assist the Union in further developing a comprehensive policy towards the South Caucasus;

(j)

in the framework of the activities set out in this Article, contribute to the implementation of the Union’s human rights policy and the Union Guidelines on Human Rights, in particular with regard to children and women in areas affected by conflicts, especially by monitoring and addressing developments in this regard.’;